You Died
[YOU DIED]
"This game is such bullshit!"
Smash! Smash! Smash!
Luka clenched his teeth, his eyes fixed on the monitor with rage. His desk bore the damage of his outburst, the shattered remains of his keyboard scattered across its surface and the floor below.
He stood abruptly. "These heroines are so fucking useless! They don't do shit! All they do is get me killed!"
His in-game character's lifeless body, charred beyond recognition, the lingering embers of a fireball still crackling against the scorched ground.
One of the heroines — a mage — had incinerated Luka's in-game character in an instant, leaving nothing but a faint smoke where he had once stood.
And all he could do was watch as the heroine lightly tapped her head, sticking out her tongue with an impish grin.
"Oops! My bad, Hero!" she chirped.
Rubbing his forehead in an attempt to calm himself, Luka sank back into his chair. He felt his veins about to explode.
"I need a smoke…" he muttered, reaching for his pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out, grabbing his lighter as he leaned back in his chair.
The flame flickered briefly before he lit the cigarette, taking a long drag and exhaling a plume of smoke that curled lazily toward the ceiling.
Despite calming down a little, his frustration lingered, and he couldn't help but grumble under his breath.
After all, Luka had just lost thousands of hours of painstaking progression.
"I swear… these heroines are just eye candy. Just for horny virgins! Uh~ Why does the game have to force me to party with them? What did I expect, honestly? It's a dating sim after all…"
Luka sighed. "This is what I get for wanting 'impossible' achievements…"
But then a sly smirk spread across his face as an idea struck him. First, he carefully placed every item he held in his hands back onto the desk.
Only then did he lean forward, he gripped his mouse and moved the cursor over the [RESTART] button.
Without hesitation, Luka clicked it, navigating straight to the difficulty selection screen. His grin widened as he selected [EASY].
[LOADING WORLD]
[10% - 50% - 75% ———]
"Alright, time to take some anger out on these heroines," Luka muttered, cracking his knuckles.
He wasn't going to be too mean…
He just wanted them to die over and over inside the Tower.
"They'll enjoy their time with the goblins!" Luka chuckled.
"Ah~ almost forgot…" He glanced down at the scattered remains of his broken keyboard.
He then looked to his side and leaned over to grab his spare from the shelf. "That was an expensive, stupid mistake… letting annoyance get the better of me."
However, as his hand grabbed onto the new keyboard…
On the monitor:
[85% - 95% - 99%———]
[ERROR!]
[G@m3....Crashed!!!1!]
[##!!ERROR 404: Text not found!!!##]
[SaveData: [CORRUPTED]
[Rendering: [FAILED]
[Engine: [EXCEPTION_THROWN]
[Press ALT+F4 or cry]
"What the fu—?" Luka flinched as a staticky noise crackled in his headphones.
Instinctively, he turned to look at his monitor, but the moment his eyes landed on the flashing screen, a sharp pain stabbed through his skull.
His ears rang before silence swallowed everything.
His vision blurred.
His heartbeat thundered in his chest—loud, erratic—then… slowed.
Then… stopped.
Darkness swallowed Luka whole.
▬▬ι═══════ﺤ
GASP!
Luka's chest heaved as air rushed into his lungs, like a drowning man breaking the surface.
"Hhhhaaaah—!"
He clutched his chest, eyes darting wildly.
His skin felt wrong.
His body felt wrong.
"Wh-where… am I?" Luka's voice was quiet as he pushed himself up, his fingers gripping the unfamiliar sheets.
He found himself in a large room.
Sparsely furnished yet orderly.
A small desk with a stool sat near one wall, while a sturdy closet stood against another.
Overhead, a lone chandelier.
Feeling the sunlight reach his eyes, briefly blinding him, Luka turned his head.
Through the light haze, he noticed a window overlooking a vast, sprawling garden, bathed in the warmth of the sun.
"Holy shit…" Luka muttered to himself as he slowly swung his legs off the bed, his feet sinking into a soft rug.
He walked toward the window, each step bringing him closer.
As he neared, his reflection caught his eye, and he froze.
"…Huh?" Luka's face went blank, his mind racing even more.
He was beyond shocked, standing there in disbelief.
He came to a realization—he truly wasn't in his own body anymore.
He was in someone else's.
His eyes were pitch black, void of any light.
His hair, a medium length, was black and wavy, falling in a long, tousled middle part that framed his face.
He was tall, his frame was lean.
His body was draped in a night robe, the only thing covering him. Concealing his smooth, pale skin beneath the fabric.
Minutes passed as Luka stood frozen, staring at his reflection, until he was snapped out of his trance by the faint sound of voices from outside.
Though, they drifted in, barely audible.
"Hm?" Luka glanced over and saw a small group of maids tending to the garden, engaged in a conversation with each other.
Wanting to seize the opportunity to gather more information about where he was, he quickly opened the window and popped his head out.
However, as he was about to open his mouth…
The door to the room swung open at lightning speed, slamming against the wall with a loud thud.
"Young Master, don't jump! You have so much to live for! Think about your future!" a woman's voice shouted, panic lacing every word.
"Huh?" Luka immediately turned to look, his heart skipping a beat as if he'd been caught in the act of some crime.
He truly was caught off guard.
Selene rushed forward in a hurry, her long maid dress nearly tripping her up.
Despite her frantic effort, it felt as though the universe itself wouldn't allow her to run any faster.
She moved awkwardly, arms outstretched in front of her for balance, her short green hair fluttering slightly as she hurried.
Her light green eyes were wide with nervousness, clearly flustered by the situation.
Seeing this, Luka, clueless about who this woman was, quickly put out his hands in an attempt to stop her from this outburst of emotion.
"Calm down, I'm not going to jump! Look!" he said, as he slammed the window shut with a quick motion.
Glancing over his shoulder, Luka added, "So, can you calm down?"
Selene stopped just inches away from him, her hand outstretched, ready to grab hold of him and prevent any rash action.
However, seeing the window closed, she let out a sigh of relief, her body relaxing as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Placing one hand over her heart, she instinctively clutched the small cross necklace around her neck.
"Oh, thank goodness… Grateful are we, for the Goddess Lucia, Lightbringer, whose warmth and light bless our souls, that you didn't take your life," Selene murmured softly.
Luka put on a small, awkward smile. 'It seems the original owner of this body was a tad-bit suicidal…'
Selene paused, her expression of gratitude toward Goddess Lucia faltering as her eyes suddenly welled with tears.
She choked up, her emotions overflowing, and before Luka could react, she threw herself at him in a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry... forgive me for overstepping my bounds, Young Master," Selene sobbed into his stomach, her body trembling:
"I just... I feel so guilty for leaving you out of my sight again! If you'd truly been determined to end your life, this would have been your hundredth attempt!"
"It's fine, it's fine!" Luka gasped, struggling to breathe as the grip around him seemed to crush the air out of him.
His head was spinning from the unexpected pressure.
'How can someone with such a small, petite body be so strong?!' Luka thought, his eyeballs nearly popping out of his skull. 'And also... did she really call me 'Young Master'?'
Desperate for air, he began patting the woman gently on the back.
"Okay, okay, you can let go now!?" Luka wheezed, his voice strained.
It was then that a blue-colored system window materialized before him, its soft, pulsating light drawing his focus.
At the same time, a mechanical voice resounded in Luka's mind:
[WARNING: Hit Points CRITICAL!]
[1 / 10 HP remaining!]